Max Condos, 77 Mutual St: Low Fees and a Long Amenity List Near TMU

Max Condos is a 2021 Tribute tower on Mutual Street, a block east of Church and Dundas, and it is one of the better-value newer buildings in the Garden District if you judge by the monthly fee. You get guest suites, a media room, a yoga studio and a dining room for under 80 cents a square foot. What you do not get is space: almost every suite is under 860 sq ft. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Tribute tower on a quiet side street

Tribute Communities filed the site plan for Max in early 2017, and UrbanToronto reported the crane coming down after the tower topped out in mid-2020. The building registered as TSCC-2840 in March 2021, so it is one of the younger towers in the Church and Dundas area.

Graziani + Corazza Architects designed it. UrbanToronto records the tower at about 114 metres and 36 storeys, while listing data counts 38 floors; the difference is usually how mechanical and podium levels are counted, so treat the storey number as approximate.

The address is the useful detail. Mutual Street is a short residential street between Dundas and Shuter, one block east of Church, so the building is close to the action without sitting on a main road. Front-door traffic is lighter than at the towers on Dundas or Jarvis.

Small suites, deliberately

Suites run from about 420 sq ft to about 855 sq ft. The stock is mostly one-bedrooms and one-plus-dens between 500 and 600 sq ft, with a smaller number of two-bedroom plans around 600 to 700 sq ft and very little above that.

This was a building sold to first-time buyers and investors, and the plans show it. Many one-plus-den suites use the den as a work nook rather than a second bedroom, so check whether the den has a door and a window before you count it as a room.

If you need more room, look at the two-bedroom plans on higher floors, which are the scarcest suites here and the ones that hold value best. A 2021 building with this layout mix tends to have a high share of renters, which is good for an investor and worth knowing for an owner-occupier.

Storage is the other question in suites this size. Ask whether the suite you are looking at comes with a locker, and whether parking is included or available to buy or rent in the building, because in a compact one-bedroom those two items change how livable the home is.

Church and Dundas, day to day

The Toronto Metropolitan University campus is a short walk west, along with the Eaton Centre, Yonge-Dundas and the new Sankofa Square. St. Michael’s Hospital and Massey Hall are a short walk south-west, which is why I see a lot of students, hospital staff and downtown office workers in this pocket.

The area east of Church and around Dundas and Jarvis changes character block by block, and some corners feel very different at night than they do in the afternoon. Walk the route you would actually take home, at the times you would actually take it, before you decide.

This is also one of the most active development pockets downtown. Fleur at 60 Shuter, 77 Shuter and the 88 Queen towers have all gone up within a few blocks since 2020, and more are planned. Expect cranes, lane closures and new neighbours for a while yet. Transit, schools and parks data are in the panel on this page.

Max against its neighbours

Buyers looking at Max usually compare it with three other newer towers within a few blocks. Pace at 155 Dundas St E is a 35-storey, 272-suite Great Gulf building from 2016. Core Condos at 68 Shuter is a 26-storey, 220-suite CentreCourt building from 2017. Fleur at 60 Shuter is a 29-storey, 320-suite Menkes building from 2021, the same year as Max.

Max is the largest of the four by suite count and the most expensive by price per square foot. What it offers in return is the strongest amenity list of the group, with guest suites, a media room and a dining room, and one of the lowest fees per square foot.

Core is the one to compare on fees: its current listings work out to about $1.20 per sq ft against Max’s $0.78. On a 550 sq ft one-bedroom, that is a gap of over $2,500 a year, which closes a lot of the difference in purchase price over a few years of ownership.

What Max Condos costs

The building averages about $922 per square foot. That is above the older towers nearby, such as Pace at 155 Dundas St E at about $789, and above Fleur at 60 Shuter at about $833, which reflects Max’s age, its small suites and its amenity list.

The fee is the strong point. Current listings work out to about $0.78 per sq ft, roughly $320 a month for the smallest one-bedroom up to about $495. Note that the fee covers only common elements and building insurance, so water, hydro and heating are all on top.

For an investor, that combination matters most. A lower fee leaves more of the rent as cash flow, and the amenity list helps the suite stand out against older rentals nearby.

There are six suites for sale right now, asking from $419,000 to $528,000. One-plus-den suites are asking between $449,000 and $475,000. For sold prices and rents, see the data panel or my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Max Condos

For a building of small suites, the amenity list does real work: guest suites mean visiting family do not need a hotel, and the dining room and party room give you space to host that a 500 sq ft one-bedroom cannot. There is no pool, which is part of why the fee stays this low.

Jatin’s honest take on Max Condos

Max Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.